Dragstock Video Review
by Marvin T. Smith
Dragstock was the largest independent Pro Mod event ever staged. Held inOctober of 2004, it featured AMS Pro Modifieds, Southern Outlaws, Nitrous cars, Turbo cars, and would have had major IHRA cars if the IHRA had not rescheduled a rained-out event for the same weekend. In all, over 50 cars showed for a real barn-burner of a race. If you were not able to attend, you missed a super event, but this tape is the next best thing to being there. If you were there, you will want this video for a souvenir.
Scott Caudill did a super job of capturing what Pro Mod is all about. The small Carolina Dragway was the ideal venue for this event, allowing close interaction with the cars. Scott has obviously been at this track before, and figured out the best places to document the action. He included super burnouts, guardrail-to-guardrail action, wild wheelies, and the unfortunate fire suffered by Brain Dyar. You want performance? How about several three-second runs? Jason Scruggs captured the track record at 3.989 at a mind boggling 188.67 for the eighth mile, only to be bettered by John Lynam's 3.982. Mike Ashley's Shelby Mustang finally clinched the record with a 3.979 blast.
I really liked this video. The quality is excellent. Some viewers may miss the lack of voice-over. The only sound is the track's PA system, the roar of the engines, whine of the blowers, and cheers of the crowds. I for one do not miss the talking heads of TV land. The unusual format of Sunday's race, pitting the AMS series cars against the others in a points system, is impossible to follow from the tape, but if you simply want to see great action, this video cannot be beat. Scott always zooms in on the top end clocks so it is easy to determine winners and pick up the times, except for the night sequences when it is hard to read the glaring scoreboards. Another thing I liked about this tape is the fact that Scott moves around the facility, shooting from both sides, the center of the track, near the starting line, and down near the half track area. It was just like being there.
There are four hours of action according to Scott, but I didn't time the tape to check. You get Friday's qualifying action, Saturday's qualifying action, the Saturday quick 8 race (probably the quickest Pro Mod field ever assembled with a bump spot of 4.035), and the Sunday AMS vs. Outlaw feature event. If I started naming the cars, I'd either leave out some major hitter or have to list all the cars. How about Mike Ashley, Ed Hoover, Charles Carpenter, Tommy Mauney, Thomas Patterson, Scott Cannon, Mike Neal, Jason Scruggs, just to name a few. Georgia cars included Eddie Ware's Willys, Bil Clanton's Big Money Studebaker, Dan Parker, and Ben and Milton Ledford's nitrous Willys. You like Studebakers? There were at least four. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the 63 Vettes or the Willyses.
If you like Pro Mods, this is the show for you. Scott can provide VHS tapes for $15 or DVD format for $20. Contact Scott Caudill at P.O. Box4111 Mooresville, NC 28117 or email Scott at ScottCaudill@webtv.net. Tell him you read about it on GeorgiaDragRacing.com.
Dragstock was the largest independent Pro Mod event ever staged. Held inOctober of 2004, it featured AMS Pro Modifieds, Southern Outlaws, Nitrous cars, Turbo cars, and would have had major IHRA cars if the IHRA had not rescheduled a rained-out event for the same weekend. In all, over 50 cars showed for a real barn-burner of a race. If you were not able to attend, you missed a super event, but this tape is the next best thing to being there. If you were there, you will want this video for a souvenir.
Scott Caudill did a super job of capturing what Pro Mod is all about. The small Carolina Dragway was the ideal venue for this event, allowing close interaction with the cars. Scott has obviously been at this track before, and figured out the best places to document the action. He included super burnouts, guardrail-to-guardrail action, wild wheelies, and the unfortunate fire suffered by Brain Dyar. You want performance? How about several three-second runs? Jason Scruggs captured the track record at 3.989 at a mind boggling 188.67 for the eighth mile, only to be bettered by John Lynam's 3.982. Mike Ashley's Shelby Mustang finally clinched the record with a 3.979 blast.
I really liked this video. The quality is excellent. Some viewers may miss the lack of voice-over. The only sound is the track's PA system, the roar of the engines, whine of the blowers, and cheers of the crowds. I for one do not miss the talking heads of TV land. The unusual format of Sunday's race, pitting the AMS series cars against the others in a points system, is impossible to follow from the tape, but if you simply want to see great action, this video cannot be beat. Scott always zooms in on the top end clocks so it is easy to determine winners and pick up the times, except for the night sequences when it is hard to read the glaring scoreboards. Another thing I liked about this tape is the fact that Scott moves around the facility, shooting from both sides, the center of the track, near the starting line, and down near the half track area. It was just like being there.
There are four hours of action according to Scott, but I didn't time the tape to check. You get Friday's qualifying action, Saturday's qualifying action, the Saturday quick 8 race (probably the quickest Pro Mod field ever assembled with a bump spot of 4.035), and the Sunday AMS vs. Outlaw feature event. If I started naming the cars, I'd either leave out some major hitter or have to list all the cars. How about Mike Ashley, Ed Hoover, Charles Carpenter, Tommy Mauney, Thomas Patterson, Scott Cannon, Mike Neal, Jason Scruggs, just to name a few. Georgia cars included Eddie Ware's Willys, Bil Clanton's Big Money Studebaker, Dan Parker, and Ben and Milton Ledford's nitrous Willys. You like Studebakers? There were at least four. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the 63 Vettes or the Willyses.
If you like Pro Mods, this is the show for you. Scott can provide VHS tapes for $15 or DVD format for $20. Contact Scott Caudill at P.O. Box4111 Mooresville, NC 28117 or email Scott at ScottCaudill@webtv.net. Tell him you read about it on GeorgiaDragRacing.com.
posted by David @ 1:59 AM
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